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Darke Destroyer
Darke Destroyer was the name given to two robots that entered in Series 3 and Series 4 of Robot Wars. The robots were named after the Darke family, primarily team captain Rob and his son Chris, who drove the robot. Darke Destroyer reached the Heat Final in Series 3 where it lost to Gravedigger, whilst the second iteration Darke Destroyer 2 lost in the second round to Kronic the Wedgehog. Robot History Series 3 Ground clearance hindered the battle between Darke Destroyer and Sgt. Meikle; the latter's spike was too low to attack Darke Destroyer' body, and the awkward angle and higher ground clearance of Darke Destroyer made it difficult to land blows on Sgt. Meikle. Darke Destroyer drove in circles around Sgt. Meikle, its blade gouging the armour of its opponent but not creating terminal damage. Sgt. Meikle's axe was unable to cause any damage to Darke Destroyer's top. At several points of impact, Rob Darke claimed that he halted Darke Destroyer's blade to prevent the blade from breaking, later spinning the blade up to speed once Darke Destroyer pulled away. By the end of the battle, however, the repeated impacts had caused Darke Destroyer's blade to compress. The judges decided the battle, and put Darke Destroyer through. T2 pushed a repaired Darke Destroyer around the arena in the opening of the battle, and left it in the clutches of Dead Metal. After taking damage from Dead Metal's saw, Darke Destroyer escaped and landed glancing blows, but was pushed back towards Shunt by T2. T2 drove into a flame jet and both robots escaped. Another clash caused the blade to buckle T2's front ram, and other blows landed on the side and wheels. T2 pushed into Darke Destroyer, raising its own front off the ground, but its rear-mounted wheels allowed it to push Darke Destroyer into the side walls and almost overturn its opponent. When this failed, T2 pulled away, only just escaped Dead Metal, and pushed Darke Destroyer around, taking one blow that caused it to jump slightly. When cease was called, a split decision put Darke Destroyed through, prompting some boos from the audience. In the Heat Final, Darke Destroyer fought Gravedigger, who had defeated heat favourites Mortis in the previous round. Gravedigger and Darke Destroyer became wedged together early on, Gravedigger's flipping arm unable to gain purchase and Darke Destroyer's blade scratched at its paint. A second clash saw more scratches, with Gravedigger unable to bring its wedge into play. Gravedigger was able to push Darke Destroyer into the flame pit and into the claws of Dead Metal, from whom Darke Destroyer escaped after taking a severe cut. After several more attempts, Gravedigger finally brought its wedge into play and threw Darke Destroyer, but the Darke Destroyer landed on its wheels. Pushing Darke Destroyer around in the arena, an arena spike was ultimately the cause of Darke Destroyer's downfall, flipping the robot onto its back as Gravedigger pushed it into Shunt. Shunt attacked its underbelly, and Dead Metal sliced into the bodywork once more. Series 4 Darke Destroyer had plans for revenge in this Series, as they had once again been placed in the same Heat as Gravedigger. However, Gravedigger had already been eliminated. In the first round melee, it faced Dreadnaut XP-1 and Warhog. Darke Destroyer 2 rammed Dreadnaut XP-1, but was unable to push it further or bring its wagglers into play. A glancing blow with its wedge against Warhog caused it to spin away. Warhog later broke down and was placed on the floor flipper, but Darke Destroyer 2 rammed the immobile robot free at the last second and pushed it into the side wall instead. The battle ended and Warhog was eliminated. This brought Darke Destroyer up against one of the robots who had denied it the chance to get revenge on Gravedigger, Kronic the Wedgehog. Darke Destroyer was able to push Kronic the Wedgehog, its spring-loaded axes firing rapidly but unable to cause damage. It escaped one flip, and manoeuvred around the slower Kronic, but was ultimately caught and flipped over by the newcomer. Unable to self-right, the House Robots closed in for the kill. Dead Metal put Darke Destroyer 2 on the flipper, which only flung it a short distance. Sir Killalot grabbed hold of the veteran, almost slicing through its frame, and dropped it in the pit. Results Wins/Losses *Wins: 3 *Losses: 2 Category:Competitors Category:UK Robot Wars Competitors Category:Heavyweight Robots Category:British Robots Category:Robots with more wins than losses Category:Robots with Spikes Category:Robots with Lawnmower Blades Category:Robots armed with unique weapons Category:Robot Wars Series 3 Robots Category:Robot Wars Series 4 Robots Category:Robots from Hampshire Category:Robot Wars Heat Finalists